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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

A Writer's Words - Supernatural TV I love from Back in the Day and Today

Hocus Pocus and All That

Supernatural TV I love from Back in the Day and Today

By Maureen L. Bonatch

I don’t always watch television, but when I do—and when I have the rare opportunity to choose the station—I usually pick a supernatural or paranormal television show. Besides offering a wonderful escape from the stress and demands of the everyday, I believe watching these shows helps me with my writing.

Show vs. Tell
As a writer, I’m constantly striving to show the scene rather than tell it to the reader. This includes using a lot of descriptive terms. When I’m watching television, this isn’t always necessary for the actors/actresses. You can already see the scene, the color of their hair, eyes and their facial expression. Therefore, as a paranormal and fantasy writer, I believe that watching these shows is more than entertainment. It’s also educational. Perhaps a kind of research tool.

While watching the show I’m mentally crafting how I’d write the scene in a novel to depict the picture I see on the scene. I have my notepad handy (paper, or the digital one on my phone) to take notes, or to remember an amazing line from the show.

Stretching the Imagination
Paranormal and fantasy television shows encourage us to stretch our imagination. A good one has us easily accepting this into our reality. Over the years, I’ve watched this genre of television grow with technology and the ability to use fabulous costumes, make-up, stunts and special effects. It’s more obvious just how far this has advanced when I watch an old favorite like The Land of The Lost, or I Dream of Jeanne or Bewitched. But when I was watching those shows back in the day it didn’t matter. I didn’t notice how fake some of the creatures looked—because I was already enraptured by the show.

Some of My Favorites
I’ve watched many different paranormal and supernatural television shows, but some stand a head above the rest (at least in my book ;). Here are a few that I’ve either binge watched multiple episodes with an insatiable appetite to know what happens next. Or that I had to wait impatiently for the week to pass so I could revisit my favorite characters.
• Supernatural
• Outcast
• Stranger Things
• Ghost Whisperer
• The Medium
• The X-Files
• Millennium
• Charmed

In fact, my first published short story, That Magic Moment, was inspired from the television show, Charmed.

Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keep her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu, her teen twins & alpha hubby keep her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

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